Railroad air hose connection



April 2, 1968 c. SWARTZ 3,375,849

RAILROAD AIR HOSE CONNECTION Filed Dec. 18, 1964 Z2 20 l9? l6 v 26 (I i- 356 u 0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIlJ/i/ 20 j i INVENTOR- I76. 4 QAZf/VCZ Jn Azrz ATTORNEYS.

Ill/[IE]! j HG. I fish 4 United States Patent 9 3,375,849 RAILROAD AIR HOSE GONNECTION Clarence Swartz, Orient, Iowa 50858 Filed Dec.18, 1964; Ser. No. 419,416 2 Claims. (Cl. 137-349) This invention relates to a railroad air hose connection and has as its primary object the provision of a means and system for connecting the air hoses between adjacent railroadcars or the like, whichwill'eliminate the necessity of the brakeman stepping between. the cars when couplingthe hose and the consequent possibility. of inury.

An additional object of the invention is the. provision of an assembled of this nature whichmay be readily connected to the conventional air line of. aconventionalrailroad? car, and applied thereto with a minimum of effort and difiiculty.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an air hose assembly of this nature providedwith a valve connection and dual hoselines, one on either side'ofthe car, together with means for directing air from the main air line selectively into one or the other of the hoses.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hose assembly of this nature wherein dual means are provided for controlling the supply of air, the control means being located adjacent each side of the car, so that regardless of the side from which the brakeman or other operator is working the supply of air to the connected hoses may be controlled from an immediately adjacent position.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved valve means in conjunction with the dual controls heretofore meantioned for directing the supply of air from the main air line into one or the other of the air coupling hoses.

Still other objects reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompinying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan View, partially schematic, showing a pair of adjacent coupled railroad cars supplied With the hose connection of the instant invention, one side thereof being coupled, and the other side being uncoupled;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, there are generally indicated at fragments of two adjacent railroad cars, which are coupled in the usual manner by a conventional coupling 11. Each car is provided with the usual longitudinally extending main air line 12, the ends of which are normally coupled by a central hose. In accordance with the instant invention the main air line 12 at each end of each car threadedly engages an opening 13 in a terminal 14, which consists of a tubular housing, having its end threaded at 15, and fitted with dome shaped end caps 16. A cylinder 17 is rotatable within the terminal 14, and is of a diameter to afford a friction seal within the cylindrical housing. A shaft 18 extends from each end of the valve member, through an opening 19 in the dome shaped housing 16, and through a sealing bushing 20 which is threaded into a central opening 21 3,3 75,849 Patented Apr. 2,, 1968 in an end plug22.which.is in turn threadedas atw23 into internal threads in the ends of terminal 14.

At'eachtend of. the shaft.18 is. an operating. lever on handle 25, which is positioned close to but spaced from..the side of the car, so that the brakeman may reach the same without necessity. of. steppingbetween the. cars If. desired a wheel may be-substitutedfor1ever25. Supporting brackets 26 positionedadjacent each sideof eachcar serve tosupport the extendingportions ofthe shaft 18.

Terminal 14 is provided adjacent its oppositeends with a pair of threadedopenings 28, into which are sealingly engaged the ends of. air hose pipes 29, to the outer extremities ofeach of. which. is attached an-airhose 30 provided withthe usual coacting coupling member 31.

The valve plug 17 is provided withtwo cutaway portions 35, arranged on opposite sides. thereof, and. at opposite ends of the terminal. 14, the arrangement. being such that when shaft 18 and plug.,17 are turned by one ofthe .wheels25, one cutaway portion or passageway communicates main air line 12 withtheaair pipe29: on one side. of the car, and when. turned inthe other direction throughout 180 degrees, the other cutaway portion communicates the main air line 12 with the other air pipe 29. Obviously when the valve is turned through an angle of degrees the main air supply from line 12 may be completely cut off when desired.

From the foregoing the use and operation of the device will now be readily apparent. When the cars are uncoupled the valve is turned to air line closing position. When it is desired to couple two adjacent cars 10 they are coupled in the usual manner through the coupling 11 and the brakeman then walks down one side of the train connecting the air hoses 30 through their couplings 31 on that side of the train. Each handle 25 is then rotated to a position where the coupled air house is supplied with air, while the uncoupled hose on the opposite side, indicated in dotted lines in FIGURES l and 2, remain shut ofi. By virtue of this arrangement it will be seen that the entire train may have its air supply coupled from either side thereof, without necessity of the brakeman or other individual coupling the train ever going between the cars.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved railroad air hose connection which accomplishes all the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a railroad car air hose connection system wherein the railroad car includes a centrally disposed conduit extending the length thereof for carrying fluid therethrough and means at each end of the railroad car communicating with the conduit for connecting the conduit in communication with a similar conduit in an adjacent car, the improvement wherein the connection means comprises:

a combined valve and manifold housing having an inlet port secured in communication with the centrally disposed conduit and at least two outlet ports;

movable valve means in the housing, said valve means comprising a substantially solid, cylindrically shaped body having openings formed in the cylindrical surface thereof for selectively connecting only one of said outlet ports in communication with said inlet port;

oppositely extending operating shafts which extend to the respective sides of the railroad car;

leverage means on the end of the shafts adjacent the respective edges of the car for permitting Operating movement of the valve means from either side of the railroad car;

elongated conduits secured in communication with said outlet ports extending toward the respective sides of the railroad car;

flexible hoses secured in communication with the elongate conduits;

connecting means on the free ends of the flexible hoses for permitting selective interconnection of the free end of one hose individually or of both hoses to similarly disposed hoses on the respective sides of an adjacent railroad car, thereby permitting a continuous fluid conduit system to be completed among a plurality of cars by connecting only the flexible hoses on one side of said cars and operating said valve means from said side of the cars.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the combined valve and manifold comprises:

a tubular housing disposed generally laterally at the end of the railroad car having a central inlet port and outlet ports proximate the respective ends thereof, said inlet port being secured in communication with said centrally disposed conduit;

a cylindrical valve member received in the tubular housing, said valve member having therein oppositely dication between the inlet port and only one outlet port;

means sealably mounting the valve member in the housing for rotatable movement therein; and

means securing the operating shafts to the respective ends of the cylindrical valve member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL SCOTT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A RAILROAD CAR AIR HOSE CONNECTION SYSTEM WHEREIN THE RAILROAD CAR INCLUDES A CENTRALLY DISPOSED CONDUIT EXTENDING THE LENGTH THEREOF FOR CARRYING FLUID THERETHROUGH AND MEANS AT EACH END OF THE RAILROAD CAR COMMUNICATING WITH THE CONDUIT FOR CONNECTING THE CONDUIT IN COMMUNICATION WITH A SIMILAR CONDUIT IN AN ADJACENT CAR, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN THE CONNECTION MEANS COMPRISES: A COMBINED VALVE AND MANIFOLD HOUSING HAVING AN INLET PORT SECURED IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CENTRALLY DISPOSED CONDUIT AND AT LEAST TWO OUTLET PORTS; MOVABLE VALVE MEANS IN THE HOUSING, SAID VALVE MEANS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID, CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED BODY HAVING OPENINGS FORMED IN THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE THEREOF FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING ONLY ONE OF SAID OUTLET PORTS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID INLET PORT; OPPOSITELY EXTENDING OPERATING SHAFTS WHICH EXTEND TO THE RESPECTIVE SIDES OF THE RAILROAD CAR; LEVERAGE MEANS ON THE END OF THE SHAFTS ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE EDGES OF THE CAR FOR PERMITTING OPERATING MOVEMENT OF THE VALVE MEANS FROM EITHER SIDE OF THE RAILROAD CAR; ELONGATED CONDUITS SECURED IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID OUTLET PORTS EXTENDING TOWARD THE RESPECTIVE SIDES OF THE RAILROAD CAR; FLEXIBLE HOSES SECURED IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE ELONGATE CONDUITS; CONNECTING MEANS ON THE FREE ENDS OF THE FLEXIBLE HOSES FOR PERMITTING SELECTIVE INTERCONNECTION OF THE FREE END OF ONE HOSE INDIVIDUALLY OR OF BOTH HOSES TO SIMILARLY DISPOSED HOSES ON THE RESPECTIVE SIDES OF AN ADJACENT RAILROAD CAR, THEREBY PERMITTING A CONTINUOUS FLUID CONDUIT SYSTEM TO BE COMPLETED AMONG A PLURALITY OF CARS BY CONNECTING ONLY THE FLEXIBLE HOSES ON ONE SIDE OF SAID CARS AND OPERATING SAID VALVE MEANS FROM SAID SIDE OF THE CARS. 